Face To Face
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: We all have demons in us that can make or break us. Even Bobby, Alex, Mike and Carolyn...


Ah, number 99. Well, the votes have been tallied, and I'm writing number 100 right now, so be expecting that tonight. As for what fandom it is, well, I guess you'll just have to see, won't you? The song I used for this songfic is the Garth Brooks song, Face To Face. Enjoy, and please remember to review!

Disclaimer: They ain't mine... Heh...

This songfic is for Confused, JusticeIsBlind13, Kinseyjo, InfinityStar, and Blu. Thanks, everyone!

Mike Logan groaned as he saw Chip storm over and tower over him, a sneer on his face. With a laugh, Chip shoved Mike into the mud, and all of the other kids around them laughed and pointed at Mike.

He quickly tried to stand back up, but Chip hit him in the nose, and blood spurted down his face. Wiping the blood away, Mike growled, his hands forming fists and shaking at his sides.

He wanted to hit Chip, but something deep inside of him told him not to, that it was wrong. He struggled, but finally relaxed his fists and turned to walk away. Chip jeered at him, but he kept walking to the other side of the building. With a sigh, he sank down to the concrete ground and buried his face in his hands.

"Are you okay, Mike?" a soft voice asked, and he looked up to see a pretty girl with dark brown eyes and thick curly hair.

"Yeah, Car. I'm fine," he answered, and she smiled and sat down beside him. He felt her hand cover his, and he grinned and released his grudge against Chip.

_There was a bad boy in the school yard _

_Waiting on you every day _

_Seemed like every time you turned around _

_He was standing in your way _

_Well he broke your glasses, the girls all laughed _

_As he pushed you to the floor _

_Till you stood up one day knowing _

_You couldn't take it anymore _

_And your gentle hand was finally clenched in rage _

_And you were face to face_

_Face to face with the devil that you've been dreading _

_Eye to eye finally has arrived _

_But bad as it was, well now brother, wasn't it better _

_Dealing with him face to face_

Alex let James into her apartment, smiling when he handed her a dozen roses and a bottle of wine. He kissed her cheek, and she placed the items on the kitchen table. Hanging his coat on the coat rack, he surprised her and made her laugh when he took her in his arms and dipped her down to the floor, kissing her gently.

"Hi," he whispered when they broke apart, and she smiled again.

"Hi."

He opened the bottle of wine, and she handed him two glasses for him to pour the wine into.

A glass later, Alex was feeling strange, and not in a pleasant way. For a brief second, she thought that she had been drugged, but she quickly dismissed the notion. James loved her. He would never hurt her. But with each passing moment, she was feeling worse and worse.

Finally though gritted teeth, she muttered, "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, darling," came James' silky reply as he pushed her back onto the couch and straddled her. "I just gave you a little something to help you relax."

Her head swam, and she tried to push him off of her, but she was too weak. "Please, don't do this," she pleaded, but he just laughed.

She could sense that she was losing consciousness, and in a way she was thankful. _Please, don't let him kill me_, she thought as her last sliver of consciousness raced from her grip.

CICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICI

The worry in Bobby's stomach increased tenfold as he slowly pushed Alex's apartment door open and stepped inside. His mouth dropped at the wreckage that was scattered across her normally immaculate living room. Fearing the worst, he pulled his gun out of the holster at his hip, then softly called her name as he picked his way through the debris.

"Eames? Are you here?"

She wasn't in the living room or kitchen, and he swallowed thickly as he slowly pushed her bedroom door open. In the middle of her big bed, he saw a small lump, and he let out a small sigh. He walked up to the bed and carefully pulled back the covers, murmuring, "Eames? Are you okay?"

The sight that greeted him as he peeled back the covers made him gasp and stumble backwards. Alex was completely naked under the blanket, and he could see blood on almost every part of her body. Choking back vomit, Bobby grabbed his cellphone and dialed 911 with one hand, then used the other to stroke her hair, desperately searching for some sign of life from his petite partner.

She didn't stir beneath his trembling hand, and he quickly gave the 911 operator her address, then snapped the phone shut and continued to smooth back his partner's matted hair.

"Hold on, Alex," he pleaded softly, but she still didn't respond to his shaking voice. "Please, hold on for me."

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In the courtroom, law enforcement from different squads from miles around all packed the tiny room. People that didn't even know Alex Eames were there, providing as much support as she could. But she was barely aware of it. Terror was eating away at her resolve, and even though Bobby sat on her right, and Mike sat on her left, even though Deakins was directly in front of her and the entire Manhattan SVU squad was in the bench behind her, she was still shaking.

Bobby could sense her growing fear, and he gently slipped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. Mike saw the action, and he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

Alex felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Olivia Benson squeeze her shoulder comfortingly, the rest of the squad smiling reassuringly at her.

She shuddered and laid her head on Bobby's shoulder, trying to draw strength and stability from his large frame. Six months had passed since she had woken up in the hospital with Bobby at her side, and she was still terrified to sleep at night. And when she did, she almost always woke up screaming and thinking that the rape was happening all over again. The only thing that kept her from doing something that she would regret was the man sitting by her that she was cuddled into. He kept her sane and held her to chase away the nightmares, whispering softly to her as he did.

She tilted her head upwards and looked at him with loving and adoring eyes, and he smiled and gently kissed her cheek, squeezing her hand again.

The door opened, and Bobby and Mike felt Alex stiffen between them as James shuffled into the courtroom in chains and handcuffs. He smiled at Alex, and Elliot and Olivia had to lean forward and put their hands on the shoulders of the fuming Mike and Bobby to keep them from attacking the man who'd attacked their Alex.

Alex couldn't help the small whimper that escaped her throat, and instantly Bobby's fury was gone as he tightened his arm around her waist and pressed his face into the top of her head. She turned and buried her face in his chest, trying to calm her racing heart and take steadying breaths. Bobby would protect her. She would be fine. Every person in the courtroom would keep James far from her. They would kill him before they would let him lay a finger on her.

"Will the defendant rise for the reading of the verdict?" the judge called, and James rose to her feet. The judge then turned to the jury and said, "Has the jury reached a verdict"

Bobby's grip on his partner tightened, and Alex slowly rose her head, keeping a white knuckled grip on his large hand.

"We have, your Honor," the foreman stated confidently, and the tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife. The man swallowed, and Alex felt like her heart was going to stop as he read the verdict. "We the people of the jury, find the defendant guilty of one count aggravated assault with a weapon, aggravated rape, and attempted murder in the first degree."

An audible sigh of relief swept over the people in the gallery, and Alex buried herself in Bobby's arms. A tear escaped Mike's eye as he watched Bobby rock his partner back and forth and cry with her, and he reached over and grabbed Carolyn's hand with his.

Alex continued to cling to Bobby and cry softly, but this time, they were tears of relief. He wouldn't be getting out of jail for a very long time, and she finally had Bobby. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck, then buried her face in his neck, allowing him to rock her back and forth.

And as she wept, she finally felt what she hadn't felt since her attack: safe.

_Your date showed up with flowers _

_And you thought your prayers had come _

_But with every passing hour _

_You watched it come undone _

_Then the night explode and you begged him no _

_But he forever changed your life _

_Now he waits a judge and jury _

_Thinking you'll break down inside _

_And with a finger you can put his fist away _

_And you're face to face_

_Face to face with the devil that you've been dreading _

_Eye to eye finally has arrived _

_But bad as it was, well now sister, wasn't it better _

_Dealing with him face to face _

_Cause it'll never go away _

_Until the fear that you are running from is finally embraced_

Bobby's heart thudded in his chest as he maneuvered the car into the graveyard. Climbing out of the vehicle, he pulled the collar of his jacket around his neck and shoved his hands into his jeans.

As he picked his way through the headstones, he began to whistle quietly, until he came to the one he was looking for. He squatted down in front of it and sighed, running one hand over his face.

"I just wanted…" he started slowly, uncertainly. "I just wanted to show you that you didn't win. You never did. I'm leading a good life, I've got a wife who loves me, and a daughter that I'd give up my last breath for. You didn't win."

He shivered as the wind blew through the trees, and he bowed his head and said a quick prayer. Then he rose to his feet and looked at the headstone again. He didn't miss his father, but out of respect, he stopped at the grave on his birthday and the anniversary of his death.

He wanted to still be angry with his father, to hate him for abandoning his family and ignoring him nearly his entire life. But after Alex came along, he just couldn't do it anymore. And when their daughter was born, any animosity he felt towards his father completely disappeared.

He looked down at the grass that had grown over the grave, then at his mother's grave that rested alongside his father's. "Thank you, both of you," he said softly, knowing that he wouldn't be the man he was today if he hadn't gone through the hell he had as a child.

He felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as he walked away, back to the car. And in truth, it had. He was finally free, completely. Even though he still had some demons to contend with, he was a much better man for them, and for his family.

Climbing into the car, he glanced back at the graves before pulling out of the cemetery. Then he drove home and held the family that made him feel truly complete.

_Driving by the graveyard on a wicked winter's eve _

_And you're wondering why a man of faith is whistling nervously _

_Then you stop the car and you hold your heart _

_Cause you finally realize _

_Hell the devil ain't in the darkness _

_He's rattling around inside _

_And with folded hands you truly start to pray _

_Cause you're face to face_

_Face to face with the devil that you've been dreading _

_Eye to eye finally has arrived _

_But bad as it was, well now brother, wasn't it better _

_Dealing with him face to face _

_Cause it'll never go away _

_Until the fear that you are running from is finally embraced _

_Face to face _

_Face to face_

The End

A/N: Okay, what'd ya'll think? Good, okay? Review and let me know, and I'm off to write my 100th story! Bye, everyone!


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